It was déjà vu from a week earlier.
Thursday night. A heavily favored James Madison held a double-digit lead in the first half. The Sun Belt opponent caught up and forced overtime. The Dukes finished scoreless on their overtime possession. And the underdog drilled a walkoff field goal to complete the upset.
That same script that James Madison followed in its Thursday, Oct. 22 matchup at Appalachian State was copied and pasted for its Thursday, Oct. 29 showdown against Troy.
Five days after losing to winless ULM at home, Troy rebounded in magnificent fashion, stunning the reigning Sun Belt champions 24-21 on the road and snapping James Madison's 12-game home winning streak.
James Madison started the game on fire, scoring three touchdowns on its first three possessions to manufacture a 21-7 advantage. However, all of the offensive momentum halted in the second quarter. From the 8:41 mark of the second quarter until the 9:05 mark of the third, James Madison did not record a single first down. Instead, the offense resorted to turnovers and three-and-outs. In the second and third quarters alone, the Dukes were subject to four three-and-outs and five turnovers, providing Troy the fuel it needed to stage a comeback.
The Trojans cut the deficit to 21-14 right after halftime as free safety Justin Powe logged a 37-yard pick-six. Later in the third quarter, Troy capitalized on a short field, and Jaheim Merriweather ran 28 yards, hurdling a defender and then breaking a tackle for the tying touchdown.
It appeared Troy missed its opportunity at an upset in the final frame. With 3:21 remaining, kicker Hayden Wolfe had the direction on a go-ahead 48-yard field goal attempt but lacked the distance. James Madison used that remaining clock to push the ball to the Troy 37-yard line, giving quarterback Camden Coleman a shot at a manageable Hail Mary. Tight end Cole Keller initially caught the pass, and the James Madison student section started throwing streamers in celebration. However, as Keller coming down with the ball, Powe ripped it from his hands, extending the game into overtime.
In overtime, the Dukes attempted 4th-and-1 from the Troy 5-yard line. They entered the matchup as the best fourth down team in the country, converting 11-of-13 attempts, but the Trojans reversed that trend. Seth Cromwell fell inches short of the sticks, causing James Madison to go scoreless in overtime for the second-straight week. From there, Troy ran the ball until it faced a fourth down. Then, it sent kicker Hayden Wolfe for the punishing blow, and he split the uprights from 27 yards out, silencing a shocked Bridgeforth Stadium crowd.
James Madison (7-2, 4-2 Sun Belt) lost back-to-back games for the first time since November 2024. The Dukes have now dropped seven Sun Belt matchups since the start of 2023, and four were in overtime fashion — including two in consecutive weeks. JMU can still repeat as champions, but with two games left on the conference schedule, it will need some help to get there.
Troy (4-4, 2-2 Sun Belt) flipped from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs in under the span of a week. The Trojans avenged thir 2025 Sun Belt Championship Game loss to James Madison and defeated the Dukes for the first time since they joined the league. Bowl eligibility remains in play for Troy which hosts Sun Belt West division frontrunner Louisiana Tech next Saturday.
